Titpton hails Priest 'miracle'

Veteran Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton says the way new man Ritchie Faulkner fitted into songwriting sessions is nothing short of a "miracle."

Former Lauren Harris axeman Faulkner joined the band in 2011 after KK Downing decided to bow out. He took part in their Epitaph world tour – but Tipton says that didn't offer any hints as to how he'd contribute when it came to creating material for upcoming album Redeemer Of Souls.

Tipton tells WDHA in the video below: "It was just incredible the way Ritchie fitted in. It was almost like he'd always been there.

"We didn't know that – we knew he worked live but we had no ideas how we'd gel together when we wrote. It was immediate: he brought energy to the band, and great songs and riffs to the table. It was like a miracle."

He recalls moments on tour when he overheard Faulkner experimenting with riffs backstage, and ran down the corridor to tell his counterpart: "Play that again!"

It's perhaps less of a surprise for Faulker, who says: "If you're like me, you learn to write songs from these guys. They're the sones who taught me how to write metal songs the way I write them. It was second nature."

And while Priest have ruled out any more world tours on the scale of Epitaph, Tipton repeats they will hit the stage again in the future, saying: "I'd love to play some of the new songs along with some of the favourites."